Obama Should Swap Biden for Clinton in 2012

That was a rhetorical question, but I know it’s provocative enough to immediately send right wing commentators to their keyboards to post their response to this blog with a laundry list of reasons why they don’t love Joe Biden: He’s a Democrat. He’s a plagiarizer. He doesn’t know when to shut up. He’s a liberal. He’s an “east coast” liberal. But before going off half-cocked with your missives, read on. If you don’t like Joe Biden, you probably really don’t like Hillary Clinton, so you might want to hold your comments until the end.

Seriously, how can you not like Joe Biden? He’s got that million-dollar smile and a loquacious nature that, while sometimes landing him in hot water, always makes for an interesting interview on political chat shows. And he has the best job in the world. At Presidential State of the Union Addresses he gets to sit behind the President and smile and chuckle and wave to colleagues in the audience. Occasionally, he even gets to whisper profanities into the President’s ear.

I like the guy. So it’s with no disappointment or animus towards our Vice President when I suggest that President Obama should swap Joe Biden for Hillary Clinton as his running mate in the 2012 election. It’s time to break the tradition of a sitting president always running with the same VP. Shake things up a little, Mr. President.

Now, I’m not suggesting putting Vice President Biden out to pasture. Why not just trade places and switch him with Hillary Clinton, making Joe Biden the next Secretary of State? Sure, it’s a bit worrisome, wondering what might come out of his mouth on the international stage, but as long as Berlusconi and Sarkozy are around, Biden’s potential gaffes will seem inconsequential.

If that post doesn’t work out, how about nominating him for the next opening on the Supreme Court? It would be an easy confirmation in the Senate and just think of how smilin’ Joe could brighten up that somber looking group. Hey, he might even get Clarence Thomas to say something.

Hillary Clinton is experienced, tested, and even the President says that she is “likable enough.” Besides, she has to be tired jet-setting around the world in pursuit of peace. Let her stay home in Washington, D.C. for four years with only an occasional trip overseas to represent the president at a state funeral in some distant locale.

Of course, the real reason to replace Biden with Clinton is because it is well past time that we have a qualified woman in one of the two top leadership spots in the country. (In case you missed it, “qualified” is the operative word in that sentence. Yes, it is a subtle jab at some would-be female candidates who think they are qualified to be president or vice president.)

The 2012 election just won’t have the same spark without Hillary Clinton in the game. Secretly, I have a fantasy that Tim Pawlenty will surprise the nation and be selected as the Republican Party’s nominee for vice president. That would make for a Hillary Clinton – Tim Pawlenty vice presidential debate. That prospect alone should be reason enough for President Obama to make the switch.

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Kevin Winge is a native of Minnesota. He lives in San Francisco, California where he is is the executive director of Project Open Hand, a nonprofit organization that provides nutritious meals to people living with disease. Read more about Kevin Winge.

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